“The one time that I feel free is when I’m scuba diving. I don’t feel tied to anything. At all other times I need to use a wheelchair to get around,” said Ana Calvo of Houston. “Scuba diving is the one activity that is completely normalizing.” The 2009 Ms. Wheelchair Texas will be presenting Jim Elliott, founder/president of Diveheart with the Angel Advocate Award on Saturday, April 6th at the 2013 Ms. Wheelchair Texas Gala.

Diveheart provides scuba diving opportunities to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Calvo, who was born without arms or legs, is a Diveheart participant and spokesperson. As a member of the board of directors for Ms. Wheelchair Texas, she nominated Elliott for the prestigious award.

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Kiel Brown of Bolingbrook had the adventure of a lifetime as the result of the generosity of an Atlanta-area teenager. Brown, who is a self-proclaimed animal lover, went scuba diving with whale sharks, Manta rays and other exotic sea creatures in the Georgia Aquarium.

Brown was one of three divers with disabilities who traveled with Diveheart to the aquarium. Downers Grove-based Diveheart provides scuba diving instruction and opportunities to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Thirty-year old Brown, who sustained a traumatic brain injury when he was 17, is an ardent scuba diver and a volunteer with Diveheart. He is also a spokesperson for Diveheart, having experienced the benefits of scuba diving. "I feel better after I've been scuba diving. I usually have pain as a result of my accident, but when I get out of the water, I don't have pain, sometimes for days," he said. "Diveheart has helped me to know that I can do certain things I never thought I could do. It raises me up. I've had the most amazing dives and I always know that I'm safe with people with Diveheart."

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Young Zack Bernstein from Atlanta chose to help Diveheart for his Bar Mitzvah project. In addition to raising thousands of dollars to help children, adults and veterans with disabilities , Zack hosted three teams of divers with disabilities to experience zero gravity in the Georgia Aquarium. This life changing scuba adventure trip is captured here in the hope that it will inspire people of all abilities to "Imagine the Possibilities" in their lives.

Above: Zack with his guests from Diveheart: Jim, Kiel, Greg and Evelyn. Below: Zack getting ready for his dive at that aquarium.

Below: The Diveheart team getting ready to enter the water at the Atlanta Aquarium. To see video footage and commentary of the dive go to  Diveheart @ the Georgia Aquarium 2013

Katie Estrella dances, Dat Nguyen plays guitar and Alex Calvo scuba-dives. Estrella, a Cal State Fullerton student, can't walk. Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant living in Garden Grove, can't see. Calvo, an Army veteran from Westminster, is a quadriplegic.

The three took part in adaptive demonstrations during the Aquarium of the Pacific's Festival of Human Abilities over the weekend. Groups included a sign-language choir, people who paint with their mouths and others who create art with their wheelchairs. The annual event spotlights the creative ways people adapt to life-changing disabilities.

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